Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer science and mechanical design and, more specifically, to enhancing input on small displays with a finger-mounted stylus.
Description of the Related Art
Smartwatches and other wearable computing devices have become increasingly popular in recent years, bringing convenience to basic computer-implemented tasks, such as checking a calendar and setting an alarm. With continued improvements to computation and battery technologies, complex tasks on small wearable devices are now technically feasible, even though user input interactions with such devices remains problematic.
More particularly, smartwatches typically rely on touch-based gestures on the display screen as the primary input modality. The so-called “fat finger” problem can occur on any touch device, since the contact area of a fingertip is frequently larger than the intended target region on a touch screen. However, this problem is exacerbated by the ultra-small display size of a smartwatch, where a single finger can also occlude more than half of the display at the instant that a touch-based gesture is being performed, resulting in inaccurate inputs. Furthermore, the icons and links displayed on a smartwatch screen are poorly suited to precise touch-based input, since such icons are generally much smaller than a user fingertip. Consequently, icon size can further reduce input accuracy on a smartwatch or other devices with ultra-small displays.
One approach to address unwanted occlusion of a smartwatch screen during user inputs is to displace the interaction away from the watch face. For example, hardware augmentations to a smartwatch can enable user inputs to be completed without directly touching the smartwatch, such as by swiping on a wrist band or arm, performing midair gestures, and the like. Unfortunately, such indirect actions negate the direct interaction paradigm to which users have become accustomed with smartphones and smartwatches. Alternatively, designers may adapt the user interface of a smartwatch for lower-precision input, supporting swipes or multi-level taps, but such interactions greatly limit the tasks and interfaces that can be presented to the user.
As the foregoing illustrates, there is a need in the art for more effective techniques for performing user inputs on a smartwatch or other small, touch-based display screens.